The present invention relates to containers for the storage and transportation of devices which contain radioactive material, preferably for shipping of needle cartridges containing radioactive seeds used for medical treatments.
Radioactive materials may be used for treating various illnesses including tumors and nodules. For example, radioactive materials, such as iodine125, palladium103, or the like, may be implanted into a patient to provide localized radiation treatment of tumors.
It will be appreciated that such radioactive materials must be stored and transported in containers which protect patients, medical personnel and others that must handle the radioactive materials from unnecessary exposure to radiation. Additionally, the radioactive materials must be packaged to allow safe transport from the manufacturer to an end user. Further, such radioactive materials must be safely packaged for storage at a facility, such as a warehouse or a hospital.
Conventional containers for transporting devices containing radioactive material are generally made of lead or steel or some other radiation shielding material. These containers, however, may be large, awkward and heavy. Shipping such containers may be difficult, thereby increasing costs for the radioactive material, and discouraging return, cleaning and/or reuse of the containers.
One such existing container is made from a large block of steel having a handle formed integrally therewith. Within the steel block are formed a number of cylindrical cavities each for receiving a magazine containing radioactive seeds. Such steel containers are inordinately heavy and cumbersome and do not provide complete shielding of the radiation which escapes from the magazine.
Additionally, it is often necessary to sterilize medical equipment before use. The large size and weight of existing containers for magazines of radioactive seeds make them awkward to clean and/or sterilize. Also, these containers are unwieldy for handling the small quantities of radioactive material used in individual surgical procedures.
These and other drawbacks for presently available containers exist.
An object of the present invention is to overcome these and other drawbacks in existing containers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a convenient, relatively lightweight container for storage and transportation of radioactive materials.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for transporting and storing devices housing radioactive material, wherein the container and the device cooperate to provide radiation shielding.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for transporting and storing devices housing radioactive material, whereby the devices are secured within the container to resist movement during transport and use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for transporting and storing devices housing radioactive material, wherein the container includes a separate device holder which may be sterilized within or apart from the radiation shielding container, thereby easing the process of sterilizing the devices for use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for transporting and storing devices housing radioactive material, wherein the devices are sealed within the container of the invention in a sterilized condition, thereby enabling transportation of sterilized devices.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished according to various embodiments of the invention. One embodiment of the invention provides a container for storage and transportation of one or more devices each containing a plurality of individual dosage units of radioactive material. The container also includes structure for securing the devices for transport. The container of the present invention is designed such that it acts to contain at least some of the radiation emitted by the stored radioactive material.